COP27 comes to an end

After two weeks on the ground at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, our Lightsource bp delegation has returned home safely. We were proud to be part of the +45,000 attendees in Egypt this year.

For the diplomats and politicians, the result of their work is the Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan. There will be hope that those in attendance now take some of the ideas contained in the agreement home with them and start making tangible steps to accelerate action. The deal repeats the call for deeper action and repeatedly flags the role that renewables will play in that.

The final deal calls for faster, deeper action to slash emissions. It goes as far as to highlight the essential role for renewables in that process. Figures from the IEA estimate that 9 percent of global electricity was generated by wind and solar in 2020. But that figure will need to reach 68 percent by 2050 to pair with its Net Zero scenario. In Europe, BloombergNEF estimates that 2.4TW of dedicated renewables will be required purely for making green hydrogen ‒ Europe has around 1.7TW of installed wind and solar capacity as of April 2022.

Read more about why solar is so valuable in the fight against climate change and some of the other benefits it can deliver for nature and society, from solar honey to rewarding careers.

Why we’re showing up for solar at COP27
Lightsource bp at COP27: Meet the delegation
How solar science powers careers
Green hydrogen: How solar supports the ‘skeleton key’ of decarbonisation
Energy solutions for farming
How solar power can help solve the energy trilemma
Solar farms: Biodiversity, birds and the bees
How today’s technology can help solar bridge the emissions gap

Here’s a photo round-up of COP27 from some of our delegates that attended this year: